Located on the northern portion of campus, at 17th Street & East Stadium Way, the stadium opened 59 years ago on October 1, 1966 with aseating capacity of 7,500. It replaced the original Mackay Stadium, formerly located in the bowl containing Hilliard Plaza, the Mack Social Sciences building and the Reynolds School of Journalism. Both stadiums were named for the Mackay family, who were university benefactors in the early years of the school. The stadium currently seats 27,000 and has played to crowds in excess.[2][3][4]
The field is aligned northwest to southeast, at anelevation of 4,610 feet (1,405 m) abovesea level,[5] with thepress box on the southwest sideline.
Permanent lighting was installed in 2003 to allow the option of night games.[3] Originally natural grass,synthetic infilledFieldTurf was installed in 2000, 2010, and 2022.[6][7] In 2013, the playing surface at Mackay Stadium was namedChris Ault Field in honor of the former Wolf Pack head coach, College Football Hall of Famer, creator of thePistol offense in 2004 and for his contributions toWolf Pack football.[8][9] Due to a $1.3 million sponsorship of the 2022 turf replacement, the stadium's playing surface is now officially referred to as "Chris Ault Field presented by ITS Logistics."[7]
A proposal passed by the Nevada Board of Regents (NSHE) upgraded seating options to the stadium for the 2016 season. This renovation has improved the quality of the fans' experiences but decreased the overall stadium capacity to 26,000. Higher ticket fees in the upgraded sections will repay this $11.5 million bond by 2031.[10][11]
The Wolf Pack football single–season attendance record was set in 1991 with a total of 180,457 fans over nine home games, including playoffs; and the regular-season attendance record was set at 151,081 fans in 1993.[4] The single-season attendance record for a Wolf Pack team with a losing record (at 149,635 fans) was set in 2013.[4] 2014 was the third football season to have at least 20,000 fans in attendance at every home game (1993 and 2013), although multiple seasons were close.[4][12]
The Nevada women's soccer team played home games for their inaugural 2000 season at Mendive Middle School in Sparks, Nevada. The following 2001 season, the Pack did not host any soccer home games. Mackay Stadium has played home to the women's soccer team since 2002, with occasional home matches being played offsite at the Moana Sports Complex (the previous site ofMoana Stadium) inReno, Nevada.
Mackay Stadium no longer hosts home meets for Track and Field due to the expansion and addition of south end zone seats; however, the university continues to maintain the track for training purposes.
^"UNLV vs Nevada (Oct 26, 2013)". University of Nevada, Reno Department of Athletics. October 26, 2013. Archived fromthe original on October 29, 2013. RetrievedOctober 27, 2013.
^"Boise State 51, Nevada 46". University of Nevada, Reno Department of Athletics. October 4, 2014. Archived fromthe original on October 6, 2014. RetrievedOctober 5, 2014.
^"UNLV vs Nevada (Oct 04, 2003)". University of Nevada, Reno Department of Athletics. October 4, 2003. Archived fromthe original on October 29, 2013. RetrievedOctober 27, 2013.
^"Make It Four Straight". University of Nevada, Las Vegas Department of Athletics. October 4, 2003. Archived fromthe original on October 29, 2013. RetrievedOctober 27, 2013.
^"BSU vs Nevada (Nov 22, 2008)". University of Nevada, Reno Department of Athletics. November 22, 2008. Archived fromthe original on November 19, 2012. RetrievedOctober 27, 2013.
^"UNLV vs Nevada (Oct 08, 2011)". University of Nevada, Reno Department of Athletics. October 8, 2011. Archived fromthe original on October 29, 2013. RetrievedOctober 27, 2013.
^"UNLV vs Nevada (Sep 29, 2007)". University of Nevada, Reno Department of Athletics. September 29, 2007. Archived fromthe original on October 29, 2013. RetrievedOctober 27, 2013.
